Puzzled by Modi govt's decision to issue e-visa to China: Chidambaram

New Delhi: Congress leader P Chidambaram on Thursday described as “puzzling” the Modi government’s decision to extend e-visa facility to China, which is still giving stapled visas to people from Jammu and Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh. “It is a puzzling decision. You have offered e-visa to China,” Chidambaram told PTI. [caption id=“attachment_2267490” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Former Finance Minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram.[/caption] Ignoring concerns of the intelligence agencies, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced during his China visit that India will grant e-visas to Chinese tourists, making it the 77th country to get such a facility. Disagreeing with Modi’s decision, the former Finance Minister sought to know the justification for such a decision. “China continues to issue stapled visa for people from Arunachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. How do you reconcile to these two things? China not willing to give visa to Indian citizens from Arunachal and Jammu and Kashmir. What is the justification of giving e-visa to China?” he asked. Modi made the announcement while addressing students and faculty at the prestigious Tsinghua University in Beijing on 15 May. With the extension of e-tourist visa facility for Chinese nationals, the total number of countries being provided the facility has gone up to 77 from a mere 11 countries in October 2014. Last year 6,76,000 Indians have visited China, while only 1,74,000 Chinese had visited India in the same year, which shows a huge gap between inbound and outbound tourist flow between the two countries. Currently, India is in the process of developing various tourist circuits out of which Buddhist Circuit and Himalayan Circuit can be of great interest to the Chinese tourists coming to India. India is also organising an exhibition of contemporary art in Shanghai in November this year. The year 2015 is being observed as a ‘Visit India Year’ by China and 2016 will be ‘Visit China Year’ by India. PTI